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About Opioids:

Learn more about opioids. You’ll be better prepared to catch the signs of abuse – and prevent addiction and overdose in your community.

What are opioids?

When we talk about opioids, we mean heroin and prescription painkillers, like OxyContin, Percocet, or Vicodin. Opioids are used to reduce pain. They are also very addictive.

Here’s a list of common opioid drugs, also called narcotics:

Codeine

Fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora)

Hydrocodone (Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Vicodin)

Hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Exalgo)

Meperidine (Demerol)

Methadone (Dolophine, Methadose)

Morphine (Avinza, Kadian, MS Contin, Ora-Morph SR)

Oxycodone (OxyContin, Oxyfast, Percocet, Roxicodone)

Oxycodone and naloxone (Targiniq ER)

Heroin is a type of opioid — it comes from morphine. It’s usually white or brown powder (it can also be dark tar) that people inject (“shoot up”), snort, or smoke.

Street names for heroin include:

Smack

H

Skag

Junk

Some names refer to where the heroin was made, like “Mexican Black Tar.” Others are more like brand names, such as “Brainstorm.”

What are the risks of opioid misuse?

Opioids are powerful and addictive. Your brain wants more opioids over time, even if you think it’s a bad idea. The longer you use opioids, the less they seem to work. It’s easy to feel like you should take more: Your body wants more of the drug to get the same level of pain relief. For some people, this becomes an addiction.

Someone addicted to opioids looks a lot like everyone else. A person with an addiction might be an honor-roll soccer player who started out with a prescription for opioids after knee surgery. Or it might be an office manager with chronic low back pain. Opioid addiction can happen to anyone, including the people you love the most. Don’t overlook the signs of abuse. If you think someone might be misusing opioids, talk to them right away.

It’s easy to overdose on opioids. One dose could kill you, even if it’s the exact same dose you took yesterday. Opioids slow your breathing. If you take too much, your breathing will stop and you can die. If you think someone is overdosing, you can give them Narcan, a drug that helps the person wake up.

Your body gets attached to opioids when you use them regularly or for a long time. This is called physical dependence. Your body doesn’t feel good without the drug. If you try to stop, you’ll go through intense withdrawal. Many people who are dependent on opioids will become addicted.

People switch to heroin because it’s cheaper. Heroin often costs less and is easier to get than prescription opioids. Just like prescription opioids, heroin is very addictive and people usually need medical treatment to recover.

"4 out of 5 cases of heroin addiction start with prescription medication."

What are the signs of opioid misuse?

There are many signs of opioid misuse, but most people using won’t have all of them. You may only notice a few.

Looking at someone who’s misusing opioids, you may notice:

Small or “pinpoint” pupils

Track marks on arms (scars or bruises from using needles)

Itches and scratches on the skin

An overall unhealthy look

You also might notice health problems linked to opioid misuse. For example:

Weight loss

Vomiting (throwing up)

Constipation (having trouble pooping)

In women, not getting a period

Depression

You may also see changes in their behavior. For example, a person misusing opioids may:

“Nod off” to sleep

Start using laxatives

Lose friends they’ve had for a long time

Have problems in school or at work

Lose interest in activities

Spend more time away from home

Make frequent, secret phone calls

Get in trouble with the police

Looking around their home, you may notice:

Missing money, credit cards, and/or valuables

Pawn slips

Purchases returned for refunds

Extra plastic Ziploc bags

Bottles of vinegar and bleach and cotton balls

Aluminum foil or chewing gum wrappers with burn marks

Spoons with burn marks (if you share a home, you may also notice that spoons go missing)

What do these household items have to do with opioid abuse? Having them can be a sign that a person is getting high. They might use vinegar or bleach to clean needles. They might use aluminum foil, gum wrappers, or spoons to smoke heroin. Finding lots of extra plastic bags can be a sign that someone is buying or selling drugs.

Many people who are addicted to opioids steal money or valuable items (to sell or pawn) so they can buy more drugs. If someone you love is taking money from you or you notice things missing from your home, don’t ignore it. It might be a sign of opioid misuse.

When people who are dependent on opioids stop taking them suddenly, they may have different symptoms as their body reacts. This is called withdrawal. Symptoms of opioid withdrawal include:

Local Data

The data below was collected by Bach Harrison, L.L.C. a survey research and evaluation company. This report presents a brief summary of the Westfield Public Schools Profile Report compiled from the 2017 administration of the Massachusetts Prevention Needs Assessment Survey (PNA). Readers are strongly encouraged to examine the full Profile Report for more information and a better understanding of the data.